EDITORIAL REVIEW00
The world’s leading product liability defender at one of the world’s
premier defense firms claims a who’s who of clients like Sanofi-
Aventis, for which he persuaded a plaintiff to drop a class action over
Ambien.
—2008 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America
The lawyer of choice for companies like Astellas, Pfizer and Wyeth, Kaplan is heading up the national litigation for Bausch & Lomb over its ReNu with MoistureLoc contact solution.
— Lawdragon,
January 2008
Defends pharmaceutical and medical device
makers in products-liability claims for oral contraceptives, knee
implants and vaccines.
— Lawdragon,
October 2006
Harvey Kaplan is a nationally known defender of pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
This attorney is a member of the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
— Lawdragon,
October 2005
Submit your evaluation of this attorney.
Contact Lawdragon about the information in this review.
Mr. Kaplan chairs the firm’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Litigation Division and has served as a member of its
Executive Committee.
Professional Activities/Honors
He is a Fellow of: the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (and a member of its Board of Directors); the International
Society of Barristers; the American Bar Foundation; and Litigation Counsel of America. Mr. Kaplan has served on the Board
of Directors of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) and was Director of the IADC's Defense Counsel Trial
Academy. He was also a member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) Board of Directors; and he served as Chair of the DRI
Drug & Medical Device Litigation Committee and as a member of DRI’s liaison group to the American Law Institute for the
Restatement of Torts (Third). He has co-chaired the DRI Corporate Counsel Roundtable, and he has been at the forefront of
launching DRI Europe.
Professional Listings/Recognitions
Mr. Kaplan is listed in many prestigious legal guides, including: The Best Lawyers in America; Chambers USA: America’s
Leading Lawyers for Business (nominated for 2007 Chambers Award for Excellence in product liability litigation); The
Legal 500 United States; Who’s Who Legal: The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (recognized as one of the
most highly regarded lawyers globally in the field of product liability); Who’s Who Legal: The International Who’s Who
of Product Liability Lawyers; Lawdragon: The 500 Leading Lawyers in America; Lawdragon: The 500 Leading Litigators in
America; PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook; PLC Life Sciences Handbook; PLC Dispute Resolution Handbook; The Legal Media Group
Guide to the World’s Leading Product Liability Lawyers; Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers (named to Top Ten in both
states); The Kansas City Business Journal “Best of the Bar;” Who’s Who in American Law; Who’s Who in America;
and Who’s Who in the Midwest.
Excerpts from these publications indicate the high esteem in which he is held by his clients and fellow lawyers:
“Clients describe Harvey Kaplan as ‘one of the greatest products liability specialists.’ His presence in court is also
praised. ‘He is a great communicator and works like a well-oiled machine.’” (Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers
for Business 2007)
“A ‘hardened trial lawyer with the respect of his clients,’ he is also involved in medical device litigation,
overseeing the hip and knee implant litigation for Sulzer – the settlement of which saved the company and made possible its
acquisition by Zimmer.” (Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2007)
“…he is described by grateful beneficiaries of his expertise as ‘one of the premier pharmaceutical lawyers in the country.’”
(Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2006)
“For the makers of drugs and implants, he’s the antidote to products liability claims.” (Lawdragon: The 500 Leading
Litigators in America 2006)
“Kaplan is deemed ‘a trial lawyer foremost and a master strategist.’” (The Legal 500 United States 2007)
“He is reputed to be an ‘eminent practitioner with international experience and standing’ and an expert in the
pharmaceutical field.” (Who’s Who Legal: The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers 2007)
“… ‘the pre-eminent figure in the field.’” (Who’s Who Legal: The International Who’s Who of Product Liability Lawyers
2007)
“A litigator described as the ‘doyen’ of US product liability, with both a national and international reputation.” (PLC
Cross-border Handbooks: Dispute Resolution 2007/08; Life Sciences 2005/06)
“The Kansas City office is home to one of the nation’s most prestigious product liability litigators, Harvey Kaplan.”
(PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook 2007)
Pharmaceutical/Product Liability/Commercial Litigation
Mr. Kaplan has tried high profile pharma cases in many jurisdictions, including Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New
Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. He has won defense verdicts in cases involving serious personal injuries
alleged to have been caused by drugs such as DES, the Cu-7 IUD, the Dalkon Shield IUD, and the FenPhen diet drug
combination. In addition, he has argued cases in the Appellate Courts of Missouri, Michigan and in the Fifth, Eighth and
Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal.
He is well known for defending pharmaceutical and medical device companies in national products liability litigations,
including: oral contraceptives; hip and knee implants; diethylstilbestrol (DES); DTP, hepatitis, polio and flu vaccines;
IUDs; ophthalmic products; migraine drugs; diet drugs; analgesic/anti-rheumatic/Cox-2 drugs; diabetic drugs; anti-rejection
drugs; dermatologic products; and antihistamines. His national litigation practice also includes other product liability
cases and commercial litigation.
Education
1968 J.D., University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law
1965 B.S. (Pharm.), University of Michigan
